BRUMMIE legend Jasper Carrott stunned a small comedy club audience by doing a surprise 25-minute set to mark his return to stand-up.

BRUMMIE legend Jasper Carrott stunned a small comedy club audience by doing a surprise 25-minute set to mark his return to stand-up.

The famous funnyman was trying out new material ahead of a BBC show which will find him going back to his onstage roots

He appeared at the intimate Laffacino Cabaret night at Kitchen Garden Café in Kings Heath, Birmingham, on Wednesday night.

His performance was kept hush-hush with even the organisers unsure if he would turn-up until the last minute.

Aspiring stand-up comedian Freddie Farrell, 28, from Birmingham, was in the crowd.

“It was amazing to see him in such a small venue. He absolutely blew the roof off,” the father-of-one told the Sunday Mercury.

“People had no idea he was going to turn up. We were just there to see the normal comedy night. He is an absolute legend. I grew up watching him.

“There was a woman comic who went on after him. Imagine having to follow Jasper Carrott! To be fair to her, she did really well.”

The Laffacino night is organised and compered by experienced performer Rachel Sambrooks, 40, from Birmingham.

But even she did not know if Jasper was going to turn up.

“I met him at a gig at the Glee Club a little while ago and he was taking people’s numbers,” she said. “He gave me a call and asked if he could come down. I wasn’t sure he was going to turn up.

“It was a wonderful night. We always get a good crowd here and people really enjoy themselves.”

The Kitchen Garden Café is owned by Brett Rehling, 50, and his wife Tracey Fletcher, 44.

And Brett believes the Brummie comedian has lost none of his comedy edge.

“The new material was about being a bit older and having grandkids,” he revealed. “He made observations about people in his age group.

“You can see why the other comics rate him so highly – they know how good he is.

“His power as a performer allowed him to get away with things. He got belly laughs for some gags that others would have got nothing for, simply because of his delivery.

“He was absolutely charming and patient with people who wanted pictures. It was really nice to see.”

Jasper’s new TV show is titled The One Jasper Carrot, and will mark his return to stand-up comedy for the first time since his celebrated Back To The Front series in 1999.

Two other programmes will follow Dudley-born Lenny Henry and actor and comic Griff Rhys Jones as they both return to the stage.

Jasper, originally from Acocks Green, Birmingham, first hit the big time in the late 1970s. During the 80s and early 90s he regularly presented a Christmas Special for the BBC, attracting more than 14 million viewers.

In the late 90s he did a 150-gig sell out tour, which led to the six-part BBC television series Back To The Front, which Bob Monkhouse called “the finest stand-up comedy on television”.

Jasper was awarded an OBE in the 2003 New Years Honours list and recently hosted his Golden Balls quiz show on ITV.